Relaxing

In my day job, I tend to do things in very methodical, ordered and sequential fashion. Often there is a definitive purpose to this and doing the same thing over and over again is important in terms of maintaining quality. Although there are an almost infinite amount of subjects to photograph, and we can choose to photograph them in a variety of conditions, from different focus points, or length of exposures, or viewpoints, with different lenses or formats, we often see the world in a similar way on each occasion we photograph.

A good way of breaking out of this is to have a set plan of different shots to take when documenting the world around you in your own style. With this in mind, there are a few types of photographs that you should be looking to take when showing a story of the world around you. In documentary and travel photography these are:

• Establishing the scene
• People at an event or at work
• Details or close up
• Decisive moments – any of the above
• Conclusion

Keeping these categories in mind or in a notebook when taking photographs gives some ideas of how to expand the types of photos so that they relate to a wider audience. Like in my previous blog post, you then have to choose strong photographs which explain the story or feeling you are trying to give to your audience. What are your tips? Comments below.

Establishing or Setting the Scene

People and portraits at an event or at work

Details

Decisive moments

Conclusion

What are your tips when you are out and about? Comments below.